If we ever have a competition for Best Grand Touring Car, smart money could flow toward the Jaguar XKR-S. True, the SLS AMG or Maserati GranTurismo might give this big cat a run, but the Jag's 550-hp, supercharged 5.0-liter V-8, phenomenal ride quality, and plush, leather-stuffed interior are all tip-top shelf. As is the sound emanating from its four exhaust tips. Says Evans, "Fantastic engine noise." Adds Mr. Markus, "I like the unique and interesting engine note, which is distinctly different from most other V-8s -- even blown ones." Mortara continues, "Makes sounds you don't expect from a Jag." But as Lago says, "It's not the car's fault, but Jaguar sent a Grand Touring car to a sports car competition."

One universal gripe with the XKR-S was the detachment between the steering wheel and the road. Sure, the car turns just fine, but you get the sense there's a layer of interference between your hands and the front wheels. "There's a very numb, very disconnected feel," says Mortara. Kiino adds, "The steering is nice, but too light. And it always feels the same no matter how hard you're pushing the car. Kind of artificial, really." Then there was the problem of getting the power from that sweetheart of an engine onto the pavement. Continues Kiino, "I wish I could say it was undertired, but those Pirelli PZeros are HUGE." His caps, not mine.

"You keep the traction control on. And leave it on!" Randy shouted to me as soon as he exited the Jaguar. I, of course, did exactly that. For the first four corners. Then I decided to shut it off before turn 5. Big mistake. The XKR-S was all over the place. Honestly, the track suddenly felt wet. Lesson learned: Always listen to the guy who's won races at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Randy's notes were filled with lines like "tail-happy," "massive wheelspin," and "easy to induce power oversteer." It's a bit weird to me that the XKR-S should have such traction issues, as I know Jaguar developed it on the Nurburgring and if you don't have big-time traction there, you'll discover the true definition of Gruene Hoelle. I think Randy best sums up the XKR-S' on-track performance with, "It's a constant challenge on the racetrack to keep from spinning this car, both under power and on corner entry. I judge this Jaguar as the most-likely car to be spun, even more so than the Lamborghini."

Again, that's on the track. While what Randy thinks about his Mazda Raceway laps is a big component of Best Driver's Car, it's not the entire story. Everyone's logbooks were filled with praise for the Jag's less-than-10/10ths on-road manners. Says Kiino, "Drove the XKR-S home from Monterey and it was simply fabulous on the highway. Smooth, comfortable, quiet -- and I was going 90 mph most of the way." I happened to be the one who drove the maroon Jaguar up from our office to start off the week. In fact, I requested it. Why? Because I knew I had a 4-hour, traffic-filled slog ahead of me and at the time, comfort seemed like a bigger priority than loosening my fillings and compressing my spine. But, as Angus notes, "I love the regular XKR. It's one of the world's great GTs: quick, limber, and comfortable. The XKR-S delivers a satisfying increase in urge, but the chassis has lost the slight oiliness in the ride that even a firmly sprung Jaguar should have." Eighth place it is.

i can afford the camaro and mustang at some point in my life... and get a good 95% of the numbers and pretty darn good driving feel and finesse. yeah... cmon, whats the point if you cant potentially own and drive it?

..Why is this called a best drivers car comparison when 5 of the 9 cars being compared aren't at all drivers cars. A drivers car has a h pattern manual as any real driver will tell you, 5 of these cars do not feature that option and thus shouldn't be here to start.

Thank you Motor Trend for putting this test on auto blog. I am a huge car fan and enjoyed reading the blog. I cannot give a credible opinion for or against your reviews of the cars because I have never driven any of these cars myself. However, I have driven cars with both manual and automatic transmissions, and I wonder why there aren't more manual transmissions in this mix? From the bit of experience i have, being in a manual car made me really feel as if I was the one controlling the mechanical aspects of the car, instead of a computer doing all the work for me. If my idea of a proper driver's car is correct, then I believe that having complete control over the car's mechanics is one of the most essential things in a driver's car. However, as i said, i have not driven the cars you tested, so i do not know how the automatic transmissions in those cars differ from other cars. Perhaps to clarify the test a bit, explain why automatic transmissions are good enough to beat a manual alternative. Thank you.

I enjoyed the comparison and I'm not surprised by the results. I think a lot of people consider the writers at Motor Trend to be biased toward one manufacturer or the other, but if they ever were, they've found a way to change their biases toward the opposing manufacturers in their following comparisons, which is the closest thing I've seen to unbiased in journalism as anything. That said, I just HAVE to drive one of these GT86/BRZ/FRS things. With such a huge power deficiency, and faster cars to be had for less money, the writers STILL think this thing is amazing enough to place it above cars that cost 14 times as much. I just have to drive one to see what all the fuss is about.

Zzzzzzzzzz... big shocker. Why'd I even read this story. Sure, the 911 is arguably the "best" car, yadda yadda.. There's just no way it can win every contest every time for so many decades without someone else with billions of dollars to throw at a competitive car being able to dethrone this thing.

The results were expected with the Aventador winning over the McLaren -- The fastest time recorded for the Aventador by anyone in the quarter was AutoExpress in the UK and it did a 10.39 at 136.8.The fastest for the McLaren MP4-12c is 10.7 at 133, so they are both capable of more.And I agree with some posts here who indicate that these guys got the Aventador dead wrong by placing it last...TopGear UK had it lapping their circuit in 1:15.8 (faster than the Veyron Supersport) and it was the fastest stock non-race replica car ever around their track (it beat the Ariel Atom V8 but lost to the Caparo T1 and the Ferrari FXX/Enzo Race Replica which were all much quicker). It should have been in the top 3 driver's cars here, and Randy Pobst and the others need to stop marketing for Porsche.....Lambo does not pay magazines to have their cars win tests, people buy them anywa!This whole test was a disaster - Carlos Lago should have decided and driven them on the racetrack as well....he seems very

The manual transmission won't die for as long as the ICE is around. It will get to the point where it is only available on 2-seat sports cars and nothing else. There's still A LOT of people who want a manual tranny for the fun of it, and could care less about a 1/2 sec faster lap time. Companies like Porsche, Lotus, and Mazda understand this, and I don't think they will ever leave us stranded without a manual option.

I don't understand why people have such a hard time understanding this competition. Of course lots of hard feelings when your favorite car doesn't win, but this test is all about the driving experience - on the track, and on the street. Surprised they let anything other than the BMW 3-series win, though.As far as manuals, they are dying. My dd Impreza wagon and my Lotus both have a manual, and I wouldn't have it any other way. However, every time I drive a newer Porsche, the PDK gets better.Posers love them because they can claim faster acceleration times, and the transmission requires no skill. Racers love them because when they are programmed well, they are extremely fast on a track.Driving purists hate them because they remove a significant level of control from a vehicle. I fall into this category, but there are less and less of us every day.

The author say's..."We'll know for sure in the near future when Subaru releases a turbocharged, 274-hp version of the BRZ."Where was this information published? When did Subaru confirm such a thing? Was there confirmation I missed; or was this just an accidental slip of some insider information? A near 300hp BRZ with some decent Rubber and upgraded brakes might be a giant killer.

I guess lap time around Laguna does not weight much on the winner. Why spend the time and money to record all the performance data when it is clear that this is weighted towards a subjective winner. All fine and good but you guys really need to spend a large part of your justification stating that. The 911 was way slow around Laguna, yet it wins. Next year change the title to "Motor Trend's Geeks Like This Car" "(I saw your pics)" To me, it was a interesting article but too much opinion to mean much. I bet the 911 is a great car, but you logic is flawed.

Ok, I understand controversy draws readers and MT does a good job of drawing in readers, congratulations.I missed the 2009 comparison with 6 other cars that determined the ZR1 underperformed, could someone please send a link for me? My googling for the comparison yielded only the other five 2009 tests of the ZR1 that labeled it as superior so just trying to find-out how the car changedf. By the way I think MT can't go wrong with any of these cars listed in 2012, they're all so good so whatever their opinion, it would alienate some, but the best opinions are typically the ones that cause most controversy..... for the magazine business I mean.Thanks all.

No kiddin'. I got mad respect for the better double-clutch manumatics, but the manual is DEAD? Not as long as there are those of us who like the feeling of physically selecting a gear and working a clutch just SO, baby. And I don't recall Pobst - who's likely forgotten more than any armchair numbers-jockey in this thread will ever know - exactly panning the ZL-1.I'm also curious about the Boxter - bet that'll be addressed next year. Hopefully with the F12 and some of the more juiced 911 variations in the hunt, and maybe with a boosted BR-Z packing another surprise or two. Will the C7 be ready?Like I said, EPIC.

It is a lot harder to make a fast car handle. Ferrari did it with the 458, but it had the best street tires (Michelin Pilot Super Sports)light weight, great weight distribution. That they made it ride great is amazing, and probably do to the Magnaride shocks. The Porsche, the AMG C63, the BRZ, last year's Cayman R and Boss 302, where way slower than the Ferrari, the GT-R, the R8 GT. However, the R8 GT and Corvette had DOT race tires with a 50 wear rating. The Ferrari had the best current street performance tire. The GT-R had runflats of no pedigree. Net, the race tires added 1-2 sec/lap, the GT-R lost maybe 1 sec/lap and took a ride penalty.Porsche's turbo models have matched or exceeded the 458 on the track and in acceleration. However, those cars extracted a huge ride penalty. We don't know what Porsche will be able to deliver in the turbo models of their new car.

lol a lot of butt hurt Chevy fans here, man up and stop crying all the damn time. The ZL1 is simply not a great drivers car, and we all knew it. Glad the top two spots were not only German, but the deserved place holders. Everything else fell in line.Manuals are dead, and this is living proof: It was noted that a semi auto Porsche is better than a full manual in a competition proclaiming the best drivers car.... German automatics are the way to go.

emailadam, there were 2013 models of other cars in the test, so that shouldn't have kept the 981 S out of it. The requirement to be included, was that the car had to be on sale in the US at the time of testing, like the 2013 Shelby GT 500 for example. Really not sure why the 981S was left out but the BRZ was included. That seems ridiculous to me, even if the BRZ does drive well.

1)The GT-R is no longer an affordable car. Its on the same price playing field as the Porsche 9112)I have to take the editors at their word because as they imply. Some things can't be quantified. I would wish you all go out and drive ALL these cars back to back for 7 days on the street and track before you trash talk them and their decisions.3)I wish they had included the 2013 Boxster but I'm guessing they didn't because its a 2013? I think that car might have wiped the field clean off the map for fun and handling prowess since its mid-engined and Porsche's latest DNA creation. I doubt it will be in next year's comparo as they will have the cayman out and will be used instead of the Boxster and I'm pretty confident it will come out on top.

Great article. I look forward to this competition every year. Don't listen to the stat/numbers babies. You guys did a great job, and i couldn't agree more with the standing order. I would love to own any Carrera S, but the Cayman is probably more realistic to my budget, and its a true mid-engine car. I can't wait to see its appearance in next year's BDC!

Before you run a valid comparo it is necessary to have some specifications and standards on which you judge the group. 'Best Driver's Car' is as vague as 'most beautiful woman'. What makes a good driver's car: * kickback from the mfr? * power windows? * toosh tickler? * Obama loves it? * Uses gas / ectoplasm / nitrous? * My Mommy always loved them? * I got my first bj in one?Some people even use real stuff (speed, g's, $s, subjective preference) assigning values to each criteria and toting up the totals.But your evaluation is largely whatever the driver pulled from his anal sphincter and whether he was in a good mood or foul.About as useful as the 'most beautiful woman' winner.Sorry guys, it case you haven't caught my drift - no chicane intended - your amateurish article failed to cut the cheese.

BTW, the GTR rides like a truck, sounds like a sewing machine and looks like a foot. It's at least $40000 more than either the mustang or the camaro and only slightly faster yet you say they need to get back to the drawing board? You need to go back to bitch school.

This is such a stupid competition! What a joke! Number 5 is easily the fastest car yet just 5 because it corrects your mistakes too much. The winner is a paddle shift that they made winner because it corrected their mistakes better than they thought. Number 2 is a fully automatic which is the very definition of correcting your mistakes. What is this Bizzaro world? Maybe get a new professional driver for next year as this one needs his balls checked.

It seems to me that a true "Driver's Car" ought to have a manual transmission.One obvious remark: a Boxster or Cayman S is a better car than a 911. Everybody knows it but is reluctant to say it in public.This competition is kind of meaningless without a Vette and a mid-engine Porsche.

The GT-R should have received the top spot.. Overall, when you consider price, driving experience, value, day to day practicality, and performance it runs circles around everything in this competition. Nothing touches it. GM and Ford need to go back to the drawing board - both Camaro and Mustang are over the hill.

no 'vette becuase "Well, because three years ago, when the ZR1 competed in our 2009 Best Driver's Car, it finished in 6th place behind the 2010 Shelby GT50"So put in a shelby and a camero? This makes no sense.... what about the z06 or even the base? This is the silliest "logic" I've ever heard.

To the guy/s STILL complaining about the GT500 placing lower than the ZL1, get over it. Read the article for christ's sake. The brakes were totally fading. That is a HUGE factor in evaluating best drivers car. If you have no confidence in the brakes, you arent going to have confidence pushing the car to the last second before braking to enter a turn. Seriously, STFU already. To the guy complaining about the ZO6 STILL... it lost last year's competition and GM changed nothing before this years competition. Read the article. Hell, read the first paragraph and get over it. I completely appreciate everything the 7 judges and Pobst said about the cars. My issue, is WHY IN THE HELL WASNT THE NEW BOXSTER S INCLUDED?!? Seriously Motortrend, when have you had a problem getting your hands on a Boxster?! I think the only reason it was left out, is because it could potentially have done better than the new 991, or MT didnt want to risk showing bias towards Porsche by having two Porsche models in the competition again...

"Sure, if you still feel the need to row your own, Porsche makes a 911 with a seven-speed manual, but please believe me, PDK is the way to go."Woa! I love Randy Pobst now. I'm not surprised by the Porsche in the least. Perhaps the Aventador was a faulty unit?

It's so amusing to see people (who have likely never driven the GTR) regurgitate the same nonsense about how soulless it is. When MT was slamming the MP4 for it's inorganic approach, it raised the same question about the GTR, and promptly answered no.

What I am missing? A 2011 Corvette Z06 had a lap time of Laguna @ 1:34:43 last year. Did any of these great cars do better? The Z06 sounds WAY better than any of these and cheaper than the majority. Nice to know that a older design can still just flat ass haul around a race track. GT-R is a souless video game car, sorry fanboys but is not really any faster than last years car. Looks like crap to.

BB-double-aught: truuuuuuuue dat! The 12 will be EPIC next year...And I'm a happy Coyote 'Stang-owner who's given the ZL-1 its props for FINALLY bringing the Zeta underpinnings up to their potential after only three model years, but all the drooling "where the Mustang belongs" drivel betrays nothing so much as 5.0-administered butt-hurt. I see no point in paying 57 large for a ZL-1 or 38k for a 1LE that *almost* manages to turn in like my 30k pony, and THAT'S from a ten-year defector to the LS1 camp.The NEXT-gen cars will bring the REAL contest. The Mustang finally ditches the stick axle, and the Camaro - hopefully - drops a significant amount of weight (I know you guys are finally getting the message about interiors, but a slightly more generous greenhouse wouldn't hurt either, GM). Bet those two will be close enough that it will be this same old retarded partisanship more than any performance metric to separate them.

I think the ranking is pretty close to what I thought. The only places that I'm slightly suprised about are 4th going to the BRZ and 3rd to the GT-R. I thought those places would be reversed. Very enjoyable selection of cars again this year. If only Ferrari would have supplied a 458. Ah well. Hopefully they provide an F12 for next year's competition.

If the Camaro wasn't such a fat load, it would have placed. MT looked for a two-ton driver's car, gave the Camaro and Lambo a chance, and still didn't find one.The Camaro is only 1350 lbs heavier than the BRZHopefully, they can knock 300 lbs off the next one.....BD

I was surprised by how low the Lambo and Camaro finished, even though the Lambo handled soo bad, it still put up the 2nd best time, also in the video Randy really seemed to like the Camaro more than the GT-R. This comparison proves that horsepower isnt everything, the 2 most powerful cars finished in the bottom 3. Once again the Camaro puts the Mustang in its place, its rear view mirror.

It seems like the comparisons always use a second class Corvette(GS) or not one at all. I always wonder why when these comparisons include the Corvette ZR1 the ZR1 will win out in almost every area until someones personal choice gets in the way. It's faster, quicker, handles better, less expensive and more fun to drive. Then someone says the seats are uncomfortable, and the steering wheel is too ugly for him. Those are personal issue. It's funny how such a non-super car can be so super.

I'm confused. You come right and say that this article is not about the numbers, but about being a "drivers car". And the Camaro wins over the Shelby. I can see your point and even agree with this article. However, when you titled your last comparison of the Shelby and the ZL1: "Title Fight: There Can Be Only One Musclecar Champion" and the Camaro won with much worse performance numbers; I don't understand.

@raptr.121I was only refering to the impressions Pobst gave when he drove the car.. comments seemed more positive in the ZL-1 vs. the GT-R...I'm sure that Pobst's top 9 would have been different than this one..

why does it sound like most of the reasons the Camaro finished so low had nothing to do with the way it drives?Well whatever, I gave up on this competition as a serious metric of any kind, aside from raw laptimes, years ago. No surprise here.

to me a "drivers car" has to be stick and prefferably rwd, I know all wheel drive is great and everything is going to paddle shifters but I always come back to top gear reviewing the zr1 for the first time and the smile on jeremy's face when he was loving the vette for being rwd and stick and 638 hp, with the magnetic ride control suspension "see this ferrari none of those stupid flappy paddles here just a good old 6 speed gearbox" best line, and he hated it before he got into it because of his hate of the corvette "made by 2 fat guys in kentucky lol". He loved it by the end of the episode. The gtr is an amazing car but to computer aided to be a "drivers car", you can have aall that crap, just please have a button to press to make it a drivers car with no computer aides. Instead of a computers car not a drivers car. Great article would have liked to see the camaro place higher but its probably because I would take the camaro then the mustang over anything here, because they are true to being a drivers car.